Arlington Ranked “Fittest City” In America

Published July 16, 2020

The 2020 Fitness Index from the ACSM ranked Arlington, VA as the “Fittest City In America.” As their website states, “The ACSM American Fitness Index, a ranking of America’s 100 largest cities, celebrates healthy, active lifestyles. Cities with the highest scores are considered to have strong community fitness, a concept analogous to individuals having strong personal fitness.”

“The ACSM American Fitness Index highlights a community’s personal health, recreational and non-motorized transportation opportunities to inform advocates and city planners of ways to enhance the health and well-being of its residents and visitors.”

—BARBARA E. AINSWORTH, PHD, MPH, FACSM, the 55th President of the American College of Sports Medicine (2011-2012), current chair of the ACSM American Fitness Index Advisory Board, and Regents’ professor Emeritus at Arizona State University. Source

The top 10 cities included:

  1. Arlington, VA
  2. Seattle, WA
  3. Minneapolis, MN
  4. Madison, WI
  5. San Francisco, CA
  6. Washington, D.C.
  7. Irvine, CA
  8. Denver, CO
  9. Boise, ID
  10. Boston, MA

The Summary of Their Findings states:

“Good health starts in our homes, schools, and communities. That’s why the Fitness Index looks at both personal health behaviors, meaning what we’re doing individually to get and stay healthy, as well as the built environment, like parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers that help us do so.

Arlington, VA’s balance of both healthy behaviors and community assets earned them the #1 overall rank in the 2020 ACSM American Fitness Index with a score of 84.3 out of a possible 100. Arlington also ranked #1 in the personal health sub-score but fell to #3 in the community/environment sub-score. At the individual indicator level, Arlington ranked among the top 10 cities for 19 of the 33 indicators in the Fitness Index, with two indicators ranked #1:
• Lowest rate of adults with obesity
• Highest rate of residents meeting aerobic and strength activity guidelines”

Learn more about the rankings HERE and view the full report HERE.

The Shooshan Company is proud to be a part of Arlington, Virginia and all it has to offer!